Fishermen protested on Monday this week expressing their opposition to the the resolution of the Constitutional Chamber which annulled the trawling permits that had been issued by Costa Rican Fisheries and Aquaculture Institute (Incopesca); their pressure apparently paid off, as 35 members of congress approved in first debate a project that would allow trawling practices once again.
The Government is defending its position with arguments regarding the social and economic situation faced by
fishermen in Puntarenas and the defense of their jobs; however, according to a study done by the University of Costa Rica, the country already produces 4 times more shrimp through shrimp farming techniques than the amount extracted through trawling. In October 2016, the School of Economics of the National University (UNA) presented a socioeconomic study of the semi-industrial shrimp trawling sector in which it showed that the practice only generates 590 direct jobs, of which 80 percent are of poor quality, and below minimum wage. Shrimp peelers earn on average 37 times less than license owners.
Back in 2013 the Constitutional Chamber had made clear its position by forbidding the renovation or emission of new trawling permits due to the environmental damages this practice causes, and they stated “t
he only way they could reconsider allowing this practice would be if enough changes were met to make it a sustainable practice”, which “
would need to be demonstrated through technical studies supported by the scientific community”.
Incopesca claims they implemented controls to ensure those getting permits where guaranteeing conditions for the protection of marine resources; however, there are no technical studies and the proper procedure was not followed by Incopesca. To defend their position Incopesca mentions the implementation of several environmental improvements, such as the use of bycatch reduction devices, the use of satellite technology to confirm the location of the shrimpers, environmental zoning to help reduce impacts, protect sharks and turtles, and avoid conflicts between artisan fishing and industrial fishing, among others.
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